The 61st Hunger Games- Saskia's Story
by MockingjayPotter
Summary: The story of what happens to Saskia Jane as the 61st Hunger Games come around. Starts with a tragedy in the family, then moves on into the Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Okay so this is my first proper story, I will try to update as often as I can but I have exams coming soon so there may be a delay then. Anyway, i really wanted to write a story and didn't want to wait until summer so here goes!**

**Chapter 1**

I look out of the window at the cold, March morning. This winter has been going on for months on end, without any sign of ending. There are random days of snow that covers District 5; in December it was exciting, especially for the little ones, but by now the novelty has worn off.

I eventually decide that I have to get ready for school, though I really don't want to go out in the freezing school. Besides, it will only be another day of learning about the Dark Days, when the districts of Panem decided to rebel against the stupid stuck-up Capitol. Personally I don't blame them, but I'd never have the guts to rebel myself. I'm not that brave. I wouldn't last one day in the sadistic Hunger Games, the horrible event that Capitol created to keep us in line. That's something that we don't really get taught about in school; how to survive in the Games in the unlikely event that we get reaped. That's why we don't have many victors, although we certainly have more than districts like eleven and twelve. Although it's not legal, everyone knows that the Career districts, one two and four, train throughout the year so that they can bring pride to their districts. Obviously they get the most victors; I wouldn't be surprised if they have run out of houses in the Victor's Villages.

I pull on my uniform and go downstairs, to be met by the usual chaos in my kitchen. My dad, Ben, is frantically trying to get ready for work; he works in one of the many factories in our district, whose industry in power. My mum Violet is helping him and telling me to hurry up and the same time. I sigh and help myself to some cereal, then pick up my bag and yell my goodbyes before leaving the house. District 5 is fairly small so it doesn't take me long to get to school. Just as I reach the front gate I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Casper and my stomach instantly flutters.

Casper's my best friend but also the boy I've liked for over two years now. He's funny, kind, and probably one of the most amazing friends I've ever had. There's just something between us that makes us get on so well. I don't know what it is, but I just now that I love him. Stupid I know, but I can't pluck up the courage to tell him. Like I said, I have no guts. Our friendship is too special to me to be put in danger. I'm scared that if I tell him, and he doesn't feel the same way, that it will ruin our friendship. I won't let that happen.

"Hey Casper, how are you?" I ask.

"I'm alright, how about you Sas?" he replies.

Saskia is my name, Saskia Jane, but Casper calls me Sas. He's the only one who does but hey, I'm not gonna complain.

"Not too bad, just looking forward to not freezing to death everyday" I laugh, smiling up at him. He smiles back, and just at that point my other best friend Daisy pops up.

"Hey guys!" she beams.

Daisy's one of those people who you can't help but like. She's bubbly, funny and understanding, which is why she's so popular in school. There isn't anyone that I know who dislikes her, she can just make me happy whenever I'm around her.

"So, everyone ready to hear the history of Panem...again?" Casper grimaces.

"Oh yes, can't wait!" I exclaim sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Well, let's go, the quicker we do the quicker it's over" Daisy says, always being the optimist.

We walk towards the classroom, chatting and laughing, trying to cheer ourselves up before the boredom of the day takes over. As we walk in and sit down, our teacher Mr Greengrass comes in and starts talking.

"Okay class, today we're going to do something different. District 5 needs a victor this year. So today, we are going to look at the Games".

**A/N Sorry if this isn't very interesting but it's just an introduction to the story. Even so, please review and let me know what you think and/or how I can improve! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so here's the second chapter! I don't know if I've brought the first milestone in my story in too early but I don't know what to put inbetween so here it is. Also, I don't know if this is too upsetting to be put into a fanfic so please please let me know what you think-if it is unsuitable for a fanfic then I can re-think one of my ideas for this story. Please read and review, so that I know if I should change it. I don't want to upset people which is why I'm asking. **

**Chapter 2**

The Games?

I look at Casper, and his face echoes my thoughts. This was probably the most surprising thing that has happened in school since I was four. It's very rare that we actually get taught about anything to do with the Games, except for when we learn about the Dark days. Maybe now, I will actually get an idea of how I can survive the Games. I'm fifteen now, and although my family do not have to take out tesserae, my chances of being picked increase every year due to the fact that the number of times your name is entered into the reaping ball increases with age. It is becoming more and more likely that my name will be picked. Just the thought of being picked makes my stomach tense up. I decide to pay even more attention to this lesson, so that I can be prepared if the latter happens.

Five lessons later, it is finally over. Mr Greengrass' lessons turned out not to be very helpful. All we did was watch videos of past Games while he pointed various strengths and weaknesses of each tribute. This normally would be helpful, except he seemed to focus on the career districts' ways of disregarding lower districts and brutally killing them. Even if I was picked, I would never underestimate the other districts or kill them as if they mean nothing to the world.

As I walk out of school to go home, two hands sneak over my eyes and I shriek as I nearly fall over a log. I hear a sudden laugh behind me and spin around to see Casper cracking up at the sight of me nearly falling flat on my face.

"Casper, that was NOT funny, I could've hurt myself!" I said, trying to suppress a smile myself.

"Oh, come on, that was funny, just admit it" he argued, finally composing himself. We start walking home, and I start thinking about the Games again, especially what I would lose if I was picked. I think of my family, who have always supported me through thick and thin. I think of my two amazing best friends, who make school and life in general a much happier experience. I promise myself, if I get picked, I will make it a priority to tell each of them how much they mean to me.

All too soon, we reach the fork in the road where Casper goes one way and I go another. We hug quickly before going our different ways. When I get home, I unlock the door and call out, "I'm home!" There is a pause, before my mum calls from the kitchen "Can you come in here please Saskia?"

This stops me in my tracks. My mum's voice sounds tired, almost weak, and I don't like it. It's usually the voice she uses to give bad news. Very bad news. Hesitating slightly, I put down my school bag and walk into the kitchen. My mum's sitting at the table with her head in her hands. Oh no, this really does not look good.

"Mum? Where's dad?" I ask.

"He's...he's at the hospital darling".

This makes me grab the chair nearest to me for support. Although the hospital in District Five is one of the most advanced in Panem, except for One, Two, Four and the Capitol obviously, it is very small; there aren't many beds, so this has to be something serious. What has happened to him? Has he developed some sort of serious illness? No it can't be that, he was absolutely fine this morning. So, what? Has he been injured at work? Has he been attacked? All of these thoughts, worries, fears and more swim around in my head, nothing making sense.

"Mum, what's happened to him?"

"Saskia, honey, it's not your dad. It's- it's your granddad."

My granddad has been ill for a few years now, with many things. He's been in hospital several times before; when he had a mini heart attack, when he's had to have stents put in, and some other times. The most terrifying time was when he was misdiagnosed with cancer. My parents told me that he was diagnosed with cancer, and every big occasion, e.g. birthdays, Christmas after that was almost treated like it could be his last. We'd make it special, and he'd make a speech just in case he wasn't there for the next one. Then a year later, when he had another test done, they realised that he did not have it after all. After that, I resented the hospital. They put my family through a year of worry, distress, unhappiness and most of all pain, especially for my granddad. We thought we could lose him at any point. How could they do that to us? My granddad has been fine for ten months now, the longest period since his first problem, so I thought that everything would be fine. Maybe this is just another minor operation? But the tears on my mum's eyes as she looks up at me tell me otherwise.

"Mum" I pause, my voice shaking. "Mum, what's wrong?"

She takes my hand in both of her own, and breathes in heavily. Then she says

"Saskia, your granddad...your granddad is dying".

**A/N: Okay so like I said at the top, please tell me if I should change this part of my story because I want to write a fanfic that people will enjoy, not one that will upset people. I also would like reviews generally because so far I've had none, so I have no idea whether you guys like my story so far or not! If anyone is upset by this subject, I am genuinely so sorry. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back again! Sorry I was away so long but exams took up so much of my time! They're done now though, so I can post chapters again. I will try to update as regularly as I can. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **

**Chapter 3**

I walk the familiar path to school, not really taking in anything around me. I bump into people a couple of times, and mumble an apology while they moan. I don't really care. Last night was the worst night of my life. After my mum told me about my granddad, we went up to the hospital together to join my dad, my nan and my aunt, and to see my granddad. I've never seen him so bad before. He looked so tired, so unhappy, and he barely talked. My mum told me to go outside if I couldn't cope, but I'm determined to spend every minute I could with my granddad before he…..before he goes. After we left the hospital, my aunt came back to ours. We didn't talk much, and after about half an hour I went upstairs to bed.

As I reach the school, I start to look for Casper and Daisy. I decided last night to tell them what's happening, because they deserve to know why I probably won't be myself for a while. Besides, I think I'm going to need their support for the coming weeks. I catch sight of Daisy walking across the playground and walk up to her.

"Hey Saskia, do you think we'll learn about the Games again today?" she asks.

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know" I reply vaguely, figuring out how I should tell her.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asks me, starting to looked worried, "what's wrong?"

"No….. no not really. I've got to tell you something. But first we have to find Casper" I tell her.

"Okay Saskia" Daisy says, looking concerned.

We search the playground, but Casper's nowhere to be seen. Then I remember that he's most likely going to be in our school's tiny music department, if he's here at all. We make our way there, and I poke my head around the door. Sure enough, there he is, at the piano talking to the music teacher. Pianos are very rare here: the whole district contributed to a fund to refurbish the school, which included the piano.

"Casper?" He looks up from playing and when he sees me, he smiles that smile that I love. Right now though, it doesn't make me feel much better.

"Hey Sas- Wait, are you okay?" I must be looking how I feel, if he notices something's wrong.

"No. Could you come out here for a second please? I've got to tell you and Daisy something"

He nods, says bye to the teacher and joins us in the corridor. I look around to see if anyone's around, but they're not.

"Sas?" Casper says, "What's wrong"

I look at them both looking at me with concern written all over their faces.

"Well- I found out yesterday…. My grandad's dying-"

As soon I say that Casper pulls me into a hug, and I rest my head on his shoulder. I feel Daisy's hand patting me on the back, and we stay like this for about a minute. Then I pull away from Casper and explain everything that happened, from when I got home after school yesterday to when I went to bed. Then the bell goes for first lesson, so me and Casper say bye to Daisy and make our way to our lesson. On the way, Casper says to me

"Sas, are you sure you're going to be okay coming into school? I know the teachers will be staring to put pressure on us about the Games this year, and you really don't need that on top of this. It's not fair on you."

"Yes, I'm sure" I reply firmly "If I stay at home I'll just feel worse, but if I come into school I've got things to distract me"

Caper says no more about it, and the rest of the day passes normally. The only exception is the announcement that this year's reaping will be on July 20th. We're told to remind our families. I've been so worried about my granddad, I had completely forgotten about the Games until Casper mentioned it earlier. With everything my family is going through at the moment, I hope more than ever that I won't get reaped this year. They don't deserve anymore tragedies, whether I make it out of the Games or not. I'm also worried about Casper's brother. He turns 12 in April and will be eligible for the reaping. I know that if he is picked, it will break Casper's heart because they're so close. I'd also hate to see Sam go into the Games, he's such a kind, sweet boy. Then Casper walks me home; he's still worrying about me and probably wants to make sure I'm not going to break down at any second. When we get to my house he steps in front of me, blocking me from my front door, and says

"Sas, if you ever want to talk, or just need a hug, or just want some company other than your family…..well, you are always welcome to come to my house. Any time."

"Thanks Casper" I smile, before being pulled into another comforting hug. After a while, I don't know how long, we pull apart and I go inside.

"Mum, Dad, I'm home!"

"We're in the kitchen, darling" my dad calls.

I go into the kitchen to see my parents sitting at the table, holding hands.

"Hows Granddad?" I ask nervously.

My dad looks up at me and smiles sadly "No change Saskia. We're going to the hospital later with your aunt to see him. Do you want to come?"

"Yes, I do"

Then my mum looks up at me and says "Are you sure darling? I don't want you to get upset-"

"Mum, I'm sure. By the way…" I hesitate, before continuing "We were told to remind our families that the reaping will be on July 20th this year."

My dad slumps a little in his chair "Great, another damn thing to worry about. These people have no consideration for what might be going in our lives, they just go on as though nothing else terrible could be happening to families in the districts, it's selfish, it's horrible, it's.." he trails off, looking up at me.

"Sorry Saskia, it's not your fault. Why don't you go upstairs and change before we leave?"

I go up to my room and think about what my dad said. I've never heard him rant about the Games or the Capitol before, it's very unlike him. Although, the more people who realise that things need to change, the quicker something might be done about it. Still, I worry about how this whole thing with my granddad is affecting my dad….I really hope I don't get reaped this year, I don't know how my father would be able to cope with much more bad news this year…..

**A/N: Hello again! So, please tell me what you thought of this chapter. Sorry this it's not very exciting, it's just to introduce Saskia's fears about being reaped and to show how close Saskia and Casper are. I also realise that most of the emphasis is on the granddads situation, but it's very key to the story later. Anyway, please R&R! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi again! Okay so this chapter's a little bit long, sorry! I wanted to get all of this into one chapter though. I hope you enjoy it, although it's very sad, and PLEASE review! I haven't had any reviews yet, and that makes me sad :-( I need to know if you guys are enjoying it or not, so that if I need to change anything to make it better I can. Anyway, enjoy! I promise it will get happier after this chapter and it will have more to do with the Hunger Games itself!**

This week has been by far the worst week of my life. My granddad is getting worse, he barely talks anymore. What's worse is that we've had more lectures about the Games at school, which hasn't improved my mood. As some have noticed.

"Saskia? Sas-you listening to me? Sas? SAS?" Casper nearly shouts, grabbing my attention at last. We're walking home, after yet another long day at school.

"What! Oh sorry Casper, I was just…..my mind was elsewhere"

"That" Casper says more gently, "was obvious. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just not looking forward to seeing my granddad today. I mean, I want to visit him, but it's just horrible seeing him in the state he's in. I don't know how much more I can take"

Casper puts his arm round me and gives me a big hug, I can tell he doesn't quite know what to say.

"When are you going to see him?"

"Now, I'm going to meet my parents by the bakery then we're going up to the hospital"

"I'll walk with you to the bakery, if you want?"

"Thanks Casper, I really appreciate it" I smile at him, hesitating slightly before resting my head on his shoulder as we continue walking. He didn't seem to mind.

As we reach the bakery, I see my parents waiting outside with their arms around each other, similar to how Casper and I are. I see my mum give my dad's hand a squeeze, and I feel a pang of pain remembering that they're going through the same as me. Casper withdraws his arm from around my shoulders, although I'm sure my parents already saw us, and says

"Hello Mr and Mrs Jane. How are you?"

"As well as we can be Casper, thank you for asking" my mum replies. She gives me a hug, then turns back to Casper.

"I just wanted to say thank you. For being there for Saskia, especially during this week. Ben and I are very grateful, and I know Saskia is too. It's been very hard for us all, and I'm so happy Saskia has you as a friend"

"It's the least I can do Mrs Jane, I'm so sorry for what you're all going through at this time. My parents asked me to tell you that their thoughts are with your family."

"Tell them we said thank you very much. Their support means a lot." my dad smiles. After his outburst a few days ago, he seems to have regained his usual calmness. "We should go Saskia, your Nan and Aunt are waiting up at the hospital. We'll see you later Casper"

"Bye" Casper says to my parents. He turns to me and gives me a quick hug, which I wish would never end, but he pulls back and says

"Take care Sas. Remember what I said, I'm always here if you want to talk."

"Thanks Casper". Our eyes lock together in a gaze for a moment, before I turn away and start walking with my parents. As I look back, I see Casper watching us with his face full of worry. Seeing his expression makes me realise how much he really cares about me. I smile again, in an attempt to reassure him that I'm alright, before turning back.

When we reach the hospital, we meet up with my Nan and Aunt before going to into the ward. My granddad is the worst I've ever seen him. He barely moves, or talks, and before long I have to make an excuse to go outside before I start breaking down. I don't want my parents to see how much it's affecting me, because I don't want them to have another thing to worry about. After half an hour my parents come out and we walk home. As soon as we get in I go up to my room; I just want to be on my own for a while and I know that my parents will too. I realise just how tired I am, so I climb straight into bed and fall asleep.

***About 11 hours later***

"Saskia..Saskia, wake up darling"

I open my eyes slowly, adjusting to the darkness of my room, and see my parents by my bed looking at me.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" I ask sleepily.

"It's happened. Granddad's gone" Dad says in a calm, quiet voice.

My body stiffens, and I try to comprehend what my mum's told me. He can't be gone, it can't be true. Something in the back of my mind had kept telling me, he could get better, he wouldn't die, and he'd get back to normal. I'd been clinging to that tiny bit of hope all week, and now it's gone.

"Auntie Rose is coming over, and as soon as she's here, Dad and I will be going up to the hospital".

Auntie Rose is my mum's sister, and she lives on the other side of District 5. I try to work out why she's coming all the way over here, before remembering she was spending the night at my grandma's.

My parents go downstairs, leaving me to be alone.

Then I start crying. I can't stop. I just lay there, not moving, I can't believe he's really gone. Then after what was probably an hour, I hear the front door open and Auntie Rose's voice consoling my parents. I realise that I should probably go down, as I'm not going to get anymore sleep tonight.

As I walk down the stairs, Auntie Rose sees me and says "Hi Saskia, are you okay darling?" while pulling me into a comforting hug. I gladly hug her back and say

"I'm….I'm okay."

My parents then leave for the hospital and we go into the living room. She stays with me for most of the day, until 3'o clock when my parents return from the hospital and she goes back to my grandma's to make sure she's alright. My grandma and my granddad, although they're on different sides of the family, got on very well and no doubt my grandma is very upset as well at the moment.

Me and my parents don't know what to say to each other, and the silence in the room only makes the pain worse because all I can think about is my granddad. After an hour of this, I can't stand it any longer. I need to do something, I can't just sit here.

"Mum, Dad, is it alright if I go over to Casper's for a couple of hours?"

They look over at me and I can tell they understand.

"Of course Saskia, but don't be out too long" Dad replies.

I give them a long hug each, before leaving the house and making my way over to Casper's. Then I knock on the door and wait for it to open.

When it opens, Casper's standing in front of me.

"Hi Sa- are you alright?"

Oh dear. My face must be showing how I feel again.

"No. Can we go for a walk, please?"

"Sure" he says, looking concerned again. He shouts behind his back "Mum, I'm going out for a walk with Saskia!"

"Okay, be back by 6!" I hear his mum call back. Then he steps out and closes the door.

We star walking, and he waits for me to talk first. I wait until we reach the park and we sit on a bench before I do.

"My granddad…my granddad's gone. He….died this morning. My parents went to the hospital today to sort stuff out and I've been with my Auntie for most of the day, and I was with my parents just now but I just needed to get away for a while. Not be with family. All I can think about is my granddad, and the Games, and I'm hoping so much that I won't get reaped this year. I'm worried that my family won't be able to cope with anything else. I'm worried that I might die, and they'll have lost two family members in five months. I'm worried for them Casper, and I don't know what to do".

Casper holds my hand while I say this, and when I stop talking he replaces it with his other hand in order to put his arm around my shoulders.

"Sas I'm so sorry. I hope you and your family are alright…..well I suppose you're not alright….but-"

"Casper, I know what you mean. Thank you" Casper smiles before continuing.

"Sas it's very unlikely that you'll get reaped, and even if you do you can train, learn to fight, learn to survive. You've got the determination to get what you want. If you want to get out alive and return to your family, you'll fight for that. You're clever enough to make the right decisions. You'll survive the Games and make your family proud. You'll make me proud. And that's _if_ you get reaped, which is so unlikely it's not worth worrying over".

I know what he said is true, about my determination and will to survive, but it doesn't mean I would survive. There's 23 other tributes and only one of me, the odds would be very small. The training would help, but not against the Careers because they've been training their whole life. However, it does make me feel a little bit better.

"Thanks Casper. That's made me feel better, honestly it has, but I still can't help worrying. It's in my nature. Thank you for believing in me though." I smile, because I want him to know that I really do appreciate it, and this time there's no hesitation as I rest my head on his shoulder. He seems to understand that I don't feel like talking anymore, so we just sit there in silence with his arm around me and my head on his shoulder.

**A/N: I did warn you it would be sad...anyway I have to tell you something. I won't be able to update next week, because I'm going on holiday, but as I won't have internet to distract me in the evenings while on holiday I will have more time to write more chapters! So hopefully afterwards I'll be able to update more often. I'll also write some other fanfics to upload! So like I said above, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review so that I know what you think of my story! Bye for now! :-) **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: GODD NEWS! I have Wi-Fi, which means I can update while I'm on holiday. So, here's the next chapter, sorry it's so short. Anyway, enjoy!**

It's been a few months since my granddad died. I walk down the street, on my way to the bakery. Mum's sent me out to get some more bread, because we're running low, but it's not certain that I'll be able to get some. Everyone's running low, and the bakery can't keep up with the demands because they're running low on ingredients. Why? Because there's a food shortage. This is very rare in District 5, they usually happen in the poorer districts like 11 and 12. I wasn't even born when the last food shortage happened.

However, weather has been terrible recently, the worst it's been in decades. Farmers are having trouble growing crops; not that there's much room to grow them anyway, our district's industry is power, so that takes up most of the land. Of course, the Capitol are refusing to help. All they care about is getting what they want. They don't see us as people, but as slaves. It's affected everyone badly, in particular families as they have more mouths to feed. Hundreds of kids have signed up for tesserae in order to get more food, including Casper. So has Sam, which has broken Casper. He tries to act like he's fine, but he'll refuse to talk about it, and I can see despair in his eyes every time I look into them. Sam will be entered into the reaping 3 times, because he's taken out tesserae for himself and his father, and I know Casper's worrying that he'll be reaped. I worry about Sam too, but I worry more for Casper. He'll be entered in 10 times, because he's taken tesserae out for himself and his mother. He was determined to take it out for all four of them, so that Sam wouldn't have to, but his parents and Sam wouldn't agree to him being entered in 30 times.

As I reach the bakery, I see a huge queue of people trailing all the way out of the door, all waiting for bread. I join the queue, and several minutes later the baker comes out.

"I'm sorry folks, but I can't sell any more bread today-" There's a huge outburst of "What?!"s, "You can't do that!"s and "We need food, can't you see that?". I don't shout though, because I've talked to the baker many times in the past and I know that he wouldn't do this unless he absolutely had to.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have enough ingredients to make the bread for today." The baker replies to their comments, then walks back into the bakery and shuts the door. As he turns the sign to CLOSED, people start moving away grumbling and moaning. I try a lot of other shops, but they don't have much to sell either. When I get home I see my parents look at me expectantly.

"The baker's not selling any more bread today. He's run out of ingredients again"

My mum's head drops and she slumps back in her chair. Dad tells me

"Volt can't sell me any more of his crops. He hasn't got enough to spare. Mum's crops have been spoiled by some wild squirrel. We don't have anything for dinner tonight, I'm sorry darling".

My dad then put his head in his hands, leaning on the table, looking desperate. It's then that I realise how much my family are suffering. I thought we were scraping by, but no, we need food now. We can't keep living like this, depending on luck for when our next meal comes, we need to do something. I need to do something. Then I realise what I have to do to obtain food. It's risky, however if it's the only thing to save my parents, I'll do it.

"I'll take out tesserae"

**A/N: OOOH dun dun dun... hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please R&R so that I know what your thoughts are! **


	6. Sorry

**A/N Just to say, instead of posting every chapter as I write it, I'm gonna take a break and write a lot more chapters, then post those later on. Sorry but it's easier for me, thanks for anyone still following this story!**


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